


Lost Lion- Red String of Fate

by TidalLion



Series: The Lost Lion- Chronicals of Liao Lee [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: And behind the Scene for Overwatch Revival, Behind the scene of Lost Lion, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sex Scene in the first chapter, warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-06-22 02:23:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15571608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TidalLion/pseuds/TidalLion
Summary: A behind the scenes look at Liao and Mei, things that don't quite fit into Lost Lion Founding or in the Overwatch Revival series. Be warned as there's a sex scene in a first chapter and the first chapter is almost 20 pages long.Suggested that you Read  The Lost Lion- The Founding Of Overwatch and Overwatch Revival: Hunter along with this to fully understand the story.





	1. Rekindling

**Author's Note:**

> I'm alive!!! To be honest this was another "8 page dabble turned into a full length work" 
> 
> Ok so real talk, I haven't been posting lately because I'm working on several writing projects at once and looking for summer work. I was also working on a private series with someone else, and in all honesty, I wanted to do a story dump, in which I'd update several stories and update them all at once but things haven't gone well this summer and with a recent fight between me and my dad yesterday, there's a strong possibility that i need to find a job (been looking since April) AND an apartment and i have a month (tops) to do so. I'm not sure if he said that as a way to get me to do what he wanted or if he's serious but let's just say that while this chapter's been done for a few weeks now, I've spent several hours on the new works page because my anxiety's making me sick. 
> 
> Anyways enough of that, please enjoy this chapter and final warning, there is a sex scene towards the end of the chapter, and it is a long chapter.

Having Mei back with him and asking to test the waters to see how they still felt had been a wonderful idea.

Lee had lived on MREs and some fresh food for a while. When Mei had discovered that, she had put her foot down insisting that he get real food. He had laughed and snuck out, returning a while later with an armload of ingredients. Mei could cook well enough, but Lee was better at it. One thing she had grown to enjoy though was learning how to cook. Lee was a patient teacher, showing her new techniques new recipes and helping her learn.

She missed cooking alongside him. The activity was relaxing and reminded her of the many nights with Overwatch. In fact, she remembered how one night Lee had brought some food up to the lab and tricked her into taking a break. The trick had worked so well, he had used it whenever she was working too hard and tried to work through her meals.

Eventually she offered to make him something, he had turned bright red and said she didn’t need to. She did anyway, borrowing the kitchen in the private quarters. It had been Gabriel who had suggested that they cook together, his argument supported by Ana and Torbjorn. They found that the activity was rather fulfilling.

She remembered when they met one another’s parents. Her mother had never liked Lee to begin with, and had highly criticized his cooking. His mother on the other hand had been rather lovely, accepting and had loved her future daughter in law as soon as she had met her. The three of them had cooked together, the joyful conversation and light teasing.

Man she had loved her mother in law.

“I missed this.” Mei said, pausing to watch Lee as he chopped vegetables. He had tied his hair back into a ponytail, leaving his bangs to frame his face. “I missed cooking together.”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it.” Lee grinned. “There’s still some things you nail in a way I just can’t.”

Mei giggled. “I’m surprised you’re not wearing that Pink apron.”

“What pink apron?”

“That Pink apron you got from that so called ‘care package’ from your friends in Singapore.”

Lee hung his head with an embarrassed grin. “Please stop. I thought we weren’t talking about that ever again.”

“I never agreed to that.” Mei grinned, her grin falling a bit as his grin grew wicked. “So, do you still have it?”  

“Okay then… What about that time your hands were covered with flour and you grabbed my ass and Ana caught it?”

“Oh shut up!” Mei laughed. “You were swatting at mine all day.”

“You’re in no position to say anything.” Lee chuckled, dumping the vegetables into the pot.

“What about the time we made love on the Blackwatch table?”

“The time we kind of skipped the meal and went for desert?” Lee smirked. “Or the time you tried to jump me at breakfast and got caught by Nightingale?”

“Don’t remind me. I still have that ‘Got milk’ shirt she threw at me in the mess hall after the incident. Oh stop laughing!” she playfully punched him as the man began laughing hysterically. 

“I forgot she did that. You still have that?”

“I don’t know why. There’s a few other articles of clothing that I have that I’ve never gotten rid of.” Mei sighed. “But I keep them.”

“Mementos?”

“Maybe…” She looked up into his eyes, feeling an odd feeling of longing. It was something she hadn’t felt in years. The odd desire in her coiled tightly, consuming her thoughts. She knew this man like no other, he had seen her naked, but not just in the physical sense. He had seen her fears, her goals, and her aspirations. He knew her mind and appreciated her intelligence, her wisdom, her kindness. He understood her.

In turn she had done the same and had kept him rooted to the earth. She knew Blackwatch had a dark history, but Lee had done things he was ashamed to admit. He had once cleared an entire Talon base single handedly after the organization failed to keep him contained, unaware of his metabolism and his body’s adverse reactions to specific types of sedatives. He had been beating himself up when she had gotten into his dorm that night. She had comforted him.

She supposed that maybe all Blackwatch agents were dealing with their own demons, but on the surface, Lee at least showed remorse, and deep down he felt it. She remembered that some days he was lost, and had learned on day that he was opposed to the idea of sex when he was in that state of mind, instead preferring skin to skin contact. Naked cuddling was welcomed however. Intimacy without sexual context was…

Amazing.

She wasn’t ready to admit it but she missed that too. She sighed. One step at a time. Their cuddles and sharing a bed together was already a big step to take all at once… not that either of them minded. Maybe her feelings were still strong and true for him.  
  
Afterall, he had told her that he hadn’t been with another woman since she had left him, and she had seen the truth in his eyes.

______________________________________________________________

Wearing Liao's clothes was nice. She liked the extra sag to them, the extra room, the feel of them. She loved how even after washing his clothes, they smelled like him.

However, it didn't make her feel any better. Looking down she felt self-conscious, poking at her belly. The one thing that was both a blessing and a curse about wearing Liao's clothes was that it hid her appearance from view, making it seem like she was smaller, the bulk coming from the baggy clothing. But she knew the difference.  Looking to where the man sat working at his desk she sighed.

"Liao, do you think I'm... well... Overweight?"

The man stopped and looked up. "What?"

"I mean, do I look fat to-"

"No no, I heard you. I mean... where is this coming from?" Liao turned in his chair watching the woman shift one of his shirts in her hands.

"It's just... Lately I’ve been wearing your stuff and it's fine, but it's making me aware of my appearance. Usually it doesn't matter to me but...." Mei sighed. "Maybe I'm just being silly."

Liao stood, closing the distance towards her. Gently, he pulled her close, curling his index finger and using it to help lift her chin, raising her gaze to meet his. "Mei, your appearance has never mattered to me. What attracted me to you is your mind, your personality. You appearance is secondary. You should feel comfortable with yourself, embrace who you are. You are the only one who can set the standards of your own beauty. You look beautiful to me. If anything, you look more attractive than some other women who strive to be thin. To me, you appear healthy and as long as you're healthy, happy and comfortable, then I'll be happy too."

"You mean that?" she whispered, her hands coming to rest on his chest as she looked up, leaning into his touch as his hand withdrew slightly, moving to brush her bangs out of her face.

"You're asking a scarred old soldier who-.... well... Let's just say that when you saw me, I thought you wouldn't find me as handsome anymore because of my scars... and when we met I thought my ink would be an issue. But since you didn't mind either, why should I care about my scars or how other think you should look?" Liao smiled. "Here, put my shirt on and we can just laze at the window all day and watch the skyline together. What do you say?"

"I say you're getting old and lazy, like a lion past his prime." she giggled.

"Ouch. Thanks for your vote of confidence."

"But you're my old lion. You're my home, my person. My love." She leaned in against his chest feeling his warm embrace. "And if you'd have me, I'd be your lioness once again."

Liao chuckled, nuzzling the top of her head. "Thought of you as more of a penguin person."

"Shut up. A king must have a Queen or another consort. Besides, lions should be kept in pairs, should they not?" Mei giggled in return, leaning up as they kissed for the first time in years. Behind them they ignored the two lion mechs and Snowball making teasing noises at them.

It felt good to be together again.

However, he had caught a bit of a hint. He knew the lab where she had been staying. He hummed as a plan formed in his head. Mei may not approve, and he felt bad for cooping her up in the flat while Talon searched for her, but he was nothing, if not a gentleman.

He waited until after she had taken a shower and gone to bed, promising to join her as soon as he took care of a few matters. As soon as he was sure she had drifted off he slipped down to the armory and armed quickly. He had always prided himself for arming in under three minutes.

Slipping back out to the common area turned bedroom/ office, he nodded to Jiù zhǔ casting a look to Yōulíng. “Watch over her. Unless something happens, keep coms silent.”

Yōulíng nodded taking up watch at the window watching as her operator and better half slipped out of the door. Lee sighed and hurried down the stairs and into the streets, sticking to the shadows with Jiù zhǔ. They would have to travel several Blocks. The Streets weren’t brightly lit, but they weren’t optimal for sneaking either. He knew that he would have to take the side streets to stay sneaky. But, Talon would be watching him once he got so far he suspected.

Lee was nothing, if not resourceful and often enjoyed making people second guess themselves.

Then again, it had been roughly a week since he had picked Mei up. His beard had come along nicely masking his true identity, but then again his armor would betray him. Letting the mech run ahead, he was surprised that Talon was not in the immediate area. They were however stationed closer to the Labs however.

By that Point, Lee had slipped back into the shadows on the rooftops. Parkour was rather fun, yet held it’s own dangers during the night. The dangers were amplified at amazing heights however. Lee wasn’t overly concerned. He had made more dangerous jumps in less light during the omnic crisis.

Taking out several Talon soldiers, he slipped past their perimeter and onto the roof of the lab. There, he took out several more Talon soldiers and slipped down the hatch. It was extremely late, meaning no one would be in the labs at this time. Hopefully.

Using the holopad on his left forearm, he brought up the floorplan on his visor. Ah, he needed to go down to the tenth floor. Slowly, he snuck down the stairwell, closer to his prize. Old habit prevailed however as he slipped back into old military habits, checking corners, crawling through open doors. Talon couldn’t be that stupid not to think that he wouldn’t break in alone, were they?

Apparently they were.

The door to the storage lockers was locked, but luckily for him, he always kept a spare Lockpick kit on his person. He chuckled. He had learned how to pick locks during the omnic crisis, learning from a man who had later –and ironically- became their security chief. Lee sighed. He really needed to look him up sometime. He had warned him to leave, had suggested that he get out while the going was good, but unfortunately, Lee never knew what happened to him.

Until recently.

The lock picks also came into handy getting into Mei’s locker. Grabbing the dufflebag out from under his breastplate, he shook it out and began pulling her belonging out of the locker and into the bag. He paid little mind to what he was pulling out as it was none of his business… that was, until a black shirt and a flash of red and white caught his attention.

Looking down he paused, a finger tracing the Blackwatch insignia. Back when they had been dating, Mei had worn some of his clothing. Hoodies however, were always returned, however he remembered asking her a few times to return the Singaporean E-sports sweater he owned and his Blackwatch hoodie. The old shirt however…. He had always wondered where it had gotten to. The black shirt was an early iteration of the Blackwatch clothing that had been handed out. This shirt had the Blackwatch Insignia on the right breast, his name L. Liao on the left sleeve and his Captain Rank on the right shoulder. She must have had it prior to their split, prior to her trip to Antarctica.

He was struck with curiosity as he shook his head, returning to the task at hand. He had to finish his task quickly.

____________________________________________________________

Mei woke with a groan. She hated being woken in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Sighing she sat up, suddenly noticing to amount of room she had. Looking to her right, she noticed that the bed was empty. It was untouched, like Lee had never went to bed. Looking to the window, she could make out the outline of one of his lions. Odd. Getting up she looked for the other lion. It too was missing. She thought it was rather odd, seeing as thought the lions usually stayed in close proximity to one another.

Her questions remained unasked until she returned to the bathroom. Sitting on the foot of the futon, she took a breath and watched the lion. “Hey.”

The Mech’s head turned, tilting slightly as it watched her. “Where’s Lee?”

The Lion huffed at her heading just past Mei and to the computer, nudging the mouse. Sitting next to Lee’s chair, it sat up straight like a statue as a large screen on the wall flickered to life before a window with text appeared on the screen.

_LD-2 Yōulíng: My apologies. Operator Lee has yet to add voice modulators to us for communication. Usually he uses computers or his visor to communicate and understand us, however even some of those methods are limited at times. Would this be better?”_

“I’m more surprised that you’re using Chinese to speak with me.” Mei nodded, pushing her glasses up to sit comfortably on her face. “But it works. Where’s Lee and Jiù zhǔ?”

_LD-2 Yōulíng: Operator Lee and Jiù zhǔ left on an errand some 40 minutes ago. They should be back soon._

Mei sighed. “I still don’t like waking up alone after the Ecopoint. Lee hasn’t told me much about what he’s been up to since the fall of Overwatch. Is there anything you can tell me?”

  _LD-2 Yōulíng: after recovering from his injuries in Singapore, he stayed there for some time. He left days after his uncle’s funeral and went on a self-appointed mission for hunting down members of Talon. He either cleared the base, made small hit and runs, or drew the attention of authorities to said locations. He has yet to answer the Recall himself._

“Why not? Does he not have faith that we could bring hope and good back to this world?”

_LD-2 Yōulíng: Outside of yourself, and Angela, no one else is aware of his true status. Before the fall, he suspected that there were moles within both the UN, Overwatch and Blackwatch. He’s aware that Talon is using Blackwatch training, meaning that there’s either Blackwatch members who joined Talon, someone who was in Blackwatch is now training Talon agents, or both._

“He has suspects does he not?” Mei asked.

LD-2 Yōulíng: _The most likely agents he suspects are Moira O'Deorain and Gabriel Reyes. There could be others. He also found the link between the Assassin know as Reaper, and Reyes, mainly as their training and gear are so similar. There’s also the added fact that Reyes had survived Lee’s initial assault._

Mei was glad she was sitting. “Wait, Commander Reyes is Reaper?”

LD-2 Yōulíng: _We have no confirmation. However Both he, Ana Amari, Jack Morrison and Operator Lee are listed as MIA, and official records state that none of their bodies could ever be found. However, Lee secretly helped Ana Amari go into hiding and helped her repair and modify her weapon and gear. She has recently been traveling with Soldier 76 aka, Jack Morrison,_

“Captain Amari and Strike Commander Morrison are alive? Do you have proof?”

The screen flickered as another window was brought up, a query ran and highlighted several names, displaying them. At the top of the list were the names “Shrike”/ Ana Amari and “Soldier 76”/ Jack Morrison. In the third spot was “Spectral Savior”/ Lee Liao and the singular name of “Lotus”, both with question marks. Rienhardt Wilhelm and Torbjörn Lindholm were listed somewhere in the 30s.

LD-2 Yōulíng: _We intercepted this. It’s a list of targets that Talon has, ranked by order of threat level to Talon. Many Blackwatch agents names are not included on this list including Moira’s and Reyes’._

“That’s rather convincing.” Mei sighed deeply. Just… what happened after we went into Cyro stasis? Where did it all fall apart?” She heard a sound behind her as Lee walked in, rifle in hand, the dufflebag slung across his back.

“I’m still trying to gather all the details myself. It appears as if Reyes wanted power, we was sick of being treated as the lapdog. As soon as he went after the head of Talon in Venice after Gerard was attacked… There was a massive powershift in Talon. A year later there was an uprising in Kings Row after Tracer returned and later that year is when Reyes and I fought, I lost and he went after Jack while I recovered. Then they Shut Overwatch down in January.” Lee recounted, putting the dufflebag on the bed.

“Massive power shift?” Mei inquired as Lee turned around.

“Lotus and I were making sure everything was secure, doing our own research when we heard on the coms that something had gone wrong with the mission. Next thing we hear as that instead of Reyes capturing Antonio Bartalotti –a high Ranking member of Talon at the time- to bring him in for questioning, Reyes killed him. The shot threw Antonio of his office window. The UN and the Press never knew that Jack told them off the record to go ahead with the mission.”

Mei’s eyes widened as Lee continued. “Reyes and I began to stop Seeing Eye to eye after that. I was already suspected for going rouge as it was, since I was fighting to go to Antarctica after your coms went dark. Talon used that to their advantage.”

“So Talon won in the end.”

Lee smirked dangerously. “Talon won the battle, but they have yet to win the war. What they’ve caused is a slow burn, a fire that has begun to grow, a fire that is turning into a powerful inferno. They plan to use the Omnic crisis to their advantage. Meanwhile, I’ve been helping to put plans into place to prevent that, or at least fight back so we’re not caught with our pants down. One that Talon will have difficulty dealing with.”

“Let me guess, you won’t tell me yet?”

“Nope, but let’s just say they’ll look at those of us from Overwatch and they’ll know that we will play just as dirty as they will. I believe the Phrase is something like…. ‘You’re going to have to do better than that?’”

“Blackwatch…. They play by their own rules.” Mei rolled her eyes.

“Speaking of Blackwatch, I was wondering where my old shirt went to.” Lee shrugged, sitting at his computer. Immediately he heard Mei pawing at the bag. “Lee!!”

“I thought you’d want your stuff, especially some of your clothes.” Lee shrugged.

“You brought your shirt back with you?” Mei looked up. “Seriously?”                            

“I’m more surprised that you kept it.” Lee said searching through his messages.

Mei sighed. “I forgot I had it packed until after we reached Antarctica. I was going to throw it away or use it for rags, but… I couldn’t bring myself to do it. One night I couldn’t sleep, and I was just so upset from nightmares that I pulled it out and buried my face into it until I fell asleep. It still smelled like you.”

Lee turned back towards her. “It did?”

“Yes. It had that faint smell of your aftershave, but it still smelled like you… without any aftershave or anything.” Mei nodded. “I was upset when I woke up from Cyrostasis and found that the scent wore off.”

Lee chuckled. “You can’t say you didn’t miss my charm.”

“Being cute and fumbling your way into a woman’s heart isn’t charm.” Mei said getting up.

“You love roasting me huh?” Lee chuckled, pulling his gear off. “Ok give me my shirt.”

“Pardon?”

Lee grinned. “My shirt. I’ll get my shirt to smell like me again.”

“Mmm…” Mei watched him as he pushed the sub armor down to his hips. “Actually if you can stay like that, that would be fine.”

Lee quirked an eyebrow at the same moment the bots made a teasing giggle. With a devilish smirk he leaned back in his chair and stretched, rolling his shoulders and moving in such a way that his muscles rippled. “Dunno, I feel kind of exposed.”

“I’d be fine with seeing you more exposed babe.” Mei’s mouth moved before she could stop herself. Both humans blushed while the mechs let out a laugh. Lee held his hand out, his bangs obscuring his face. “Just give me my damn shirt back.” 

“Fine, you win. What are you doing?”

“Getting another old friend out of jail. He was wrongly convicted and I want to get him out of harms way. Want to watch? I’ll be going to bed right after.”

He kept his promise in the end, thought he had trouble getting up on the account that Mei’s arms resting on his shoulders and her chin resting on his head just felt so nice. Deep down the both knew that the spark was still there, that their feelings were still true for each other.

But neither wanted to make the first move.

 

Mei didn’t mind early mornings. For once it was sunny, the first rays of the morning sun flittering through the window and onto Lee’s face. He looked so peaceful as he slept. She lay her head back down on his chest, listening to the sound of his breathing, as well as his heartbeat. They had learned that they slept more easily if they slept in their old sleeping arrangements. Lee could really only sleep well if he slept on his back or left side, and as such, she slept on his left allowing him to spoon her. Normally his face was buried into either her neck or shoulder blades, his arm thrown over her side.

It was sweet.

As per usual, he was sleeping shirtless. She loved it, seeing his base torso –thought she loved the rest of him too- but he reminded her of a slightly more muscular Bruce Lee. But one thing bothered her more than anything.

The scarring on his face, and the fact that his eyes seemed so off to her.

Slowly pulling away from him, she heard the man stir but refuse to move further. Heading to the bathroom, she didn’t notice the brown and orange accented eyes watching her rear end as she headed to shower.

Rolling onto his back, he sighed and looked down. He had to do something before the tension got any worse. He felt like a teenager again, eyeing a pretty girl but behaving as her father was in the room. A noise gently broke him out of his thoughts. Looking up his sharp ears caught the gentle voice singing English lyrics to a song he hadn’t heard in 9 years.

“Can’t fight the fever, whenever you're around! Can't fight the way that you mess with my temperature~”

Yeah breakfast sounded good. His cheeks flushed as he got up, his mind straying to more primal desired. Damn his hormones, what the hell was wrong with him? He wasn’t some pubescent teenager! The three bots laughed loudly, making the man realize that he had vocalized his thoughts. Damn it!

French toast it was…. It would be different.

 

One thing Mei had to say was that Lee was a gentleman. Sure there were times when they both threw manners aside, but overall, he looked after her needs first before his own. She practically had to fight with him to let her do the dishes. He finally gave in and left to take a shower. She heard him set the washer down the hall then enter the bathroom himself.

Mei looked out the window mulling things over in her head while she absentmindedly played with Lee’s Dogtags. He had been telling her a fair amount about his past lately, details he had never shared with her before about the crisis and the founding of Overwatch. He always seemed rather sore when Reyes was brought up.

And those eyes of his…

She thought back to the night he saved her. The men’s comments played in her mind.

_“Did you at least chose a visor that won’t fail like last time?”_

_“I see that Gabe has friends in Talon. Good to know.” Liao tested the men’s grip._

_“Makes me wonder just how much you can see.”_

Had something happened to his eyes?

Looking to his lions, she watched them as they once again played with Snowball. It was an odd personality quirk she always liked, it made them seem more lifelike. Lee was rather organized, she wondered if he had notes or a journal on his computer…

Before she could get up, there was a loud curse and a thump down the hall as Lee dashed out. Mei quirked an eyebrow as he reached for a pad of paper. “I take it you had a breakthrough?”

Lee froze, turning to face her, his face turning red as he cleared his throat. “Yes, can you tell?”

Mei smirked. “Lee, I can’t tell if you forgot your towel of is this is some kind of new mating ritual.”

“Shut up!” The man said, turning away in an attempt to cover up. “I keep forgetting things.”

“Clearly.” Mei smirked. “Like a towel or some clothes.”

“I forgot my clothes out here for one.” Lee muttered, keeping his back turned to her. “Secondly, I think I figured out how to convert my rifle to a more modernized Pulse weapon. Thirdly….. I’m used to being alone and still rushing about quickly.”

Mei snorted. “I know you want to be modest in polite company, but in all honestly Lee, it’s just us and I’ve seen you naked before.”

Both stared at each other for a few moments. Finally Lee spoke. “Can you toss me my clothes please?”

Mei sighed and went to one of the spare rooms. When she returned, Lee was standing near his computer, using both hands to cover up.  “Here, and honestly, there’s no need to be so shy Lee. I always liked how you looked.”

“Thanks.” He mumbled shyly, using the clothes to cover himself from view. “I’ll be out in a bit.”

Mei shook her head, watching his retreat back to the bathroom. Turning towards his computer she sighed and sat down, confused as to why it wasn’t password protected. She supposed that he had probably forgot to lock his workstation before she handed his clothes to him.

She could feel the lions’ eyes staring at her as she accessed his research on her cryogenics. He had made very decent headway, but ultimately, the work looked abandoned. Checking the file history, it had been opened only once after the fall of Overwatch. She didn’t think his abandonment of the research was because of lack of funds or resources. Lee was rich from his Lion mech Designs and prosthetics. The change log indicated that he was missing something, something he couldn’t figure out. That and he felt the loss of Mei.

She moved to his other blueprints, finding his weapon and prosthetic designs. Yōulíng had had extensive experimental weapons systems fitted to her over the course of the last 7 years, however Lee had so far favored her flamethrower greatly. His rifle upgrades came as no surprise, as he had been working on that in his spare time.

She switched gears, looking to his prosthetics and implants. There was recent work on a leg prosthetic, military grade at that. Judging by the variant, it had to be related to his mother’s old prosthetic. He had one for everything… However the Ocular implants and Lenses were more recent. They were located in a Trial folder, but while labeled a success, they hadn’t been moved to the appropriate folder.

The Ocular implants and lenses seemed to not only help a person see again, but also helped soldiers and law enforcement with aim and provided a HUD interface. There was a secondary variant that had been “labeled Success- Classified” that was password protected. Odd.

She checked his armor, as expected it too had been upgraded along with many trials and finally a success full version of his visor, one which would and could crack, but it was shatter resistant. It seemed to be a huge factor. The design also made references to the Occular implants and to his Techpad.

A growl broke Mei out of her thoughts. Turning around she saw both Lions glaring angrily at her. "What? I'm only curious, besides it’s not like he hasn't invaded my privacy either."

Turning back to the computer, she logged off and took up Lee’s place at the window. She had the feeling that Lee knew she had been on his computer just by how the lions were acting. If he did know he didn’t let on to it when he exited the shower, his shirt tucked into the waistband of his jeans while he towel dried his hair.

“You didn’t have that scar on your shoulder when we were in Shanghai. You never told me how you got it.”

Lee chuckled. “Well, you never asked. The short story involves Talon hunting. I might have been a bit distracted that night.”

“Distracted? You?”

Lee laughed bitterly sitting down in front of her, the towel slung over his shoulder. “I ruined what we had because I was too foolish to ask for your research or to tell you what was going on. Easier to ask permission that forgiveness. That night… I was reminded of the last time we were in Shanghai.”

“That shouldn’t have distracted you so much that you got hit though.”

“Well… You have no idea what it was like when we broke up. I was in such a bad state, people could tell and bringing you up was a sore subject. It was bad. I tried to distract myself with my work, I mentored many more people…. Then we heard about the Ecopoint.”Lee hung his head. “We couldn’t reach you guys and they had to stop me from going to the Ecopoint myself to investigate… Next thing we know, Talon steps up their A game and Reyes’s petty drama causes us to be exposed on the one mission I wasn’t a part of.”

“What about that fight you said happened between the Uprising in Kings Row and  Zurich.” Mei supplied, watching Lee nodded his head.

“The UN got really involved after that and shut us down. Hell, Only Angela knows that I’m really alive, in regards to the agents. After that, I was numb. Overwatch was gone, I thought you were dead... All I could focus on were my regrets and failures. Shanghai reminded me of that.” Lee huffed. “So I got shot because I was lost in my thoughts.”

Mei’s head tilted. “So what happened between Kings Row and Zurich?”

“It was put on the records, but because of the timing and what happened with Zurich, it appears to have been missed…. It happened a week before Zurich.” Lee admitted as Mei’s thumb traced over a scar on his face.

“Like I said, Reyes had been going off the rails so I had to assume the role of commander of Blackwatch… He took things the wrong way and accused me of being with Talon at first then saw reason and accused me of wanting to be the sole leader of Blackwatch. He threatened me and I pulled my knife.” Lee inhaled. “We fought and during the fight he shattered my visor and, well, the scars on my face explain it.”

The pigment in his eyes seems slightly off, being a bit lighter than she remembered. His right eye looked rather bloodshot and cloudy under the cybernetic design. Her finger traced the scars on the left side of his face, her thumb pausing on the one just under his left eye. It felt rather deep, almost as if something had stabbed him in the-

Then it clicked.

“Lee, did something happen to your eyes? Is that why…. Are you-?”

“Without these, I’d be legally blind.” Lee admitted looking up at her. “He shattered my visor on his desk, and it sent shards into my eyes, although one shard got me right in my left eye. It was too late to save my eye anyway, so I pulled out the shard and tried to see with my right eye.”

“Tried?”

“If I took out this lens right now, all I’d be able to see with my right eye would be vague colors and differences with light and shadows. It’s been getting worse over the last three years.” Lee pointed at his right eye. “I need to replace it soon and get a full cybernetic to match the left which –while removable if needed- is a permanent prosthetic essentially.”

“And yours is made for combat operations.”

“It works with my visor to provide more information.” Lee began to wring his hands. “Look I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner but, I didn’t want you to worry. I…. I don’t like talking about it because I fucking trusted Reyes and remembering that day is painful. But at the same time, I don’t want to betray you again.”

Lee felt the woman lean forward to hug him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she nuzzled his face. “I love you Húndàn.”

“Is that my nickname now?” Lee laughed earning himself a playful punch to his shoulder. Looking over her shoulder, He saw the lions smirking creepily as they chuckled. He wasn’t about to lie, but he felt rather unsettled.

 

Mei Had surprised him by cooking dinner that night while he worked on his rifle. Pulse munitions weren’t in high demand, but with some help from Lynx and their hacking, he managed to get the recipe for the components, enough to make his own ammo clips. He would test them out the next day.

As they spoke, Lee couldn’t help but notice certain things about Mei. Something just seemed comforting about the way she carried herself, her lips seemed fuller than her remembered, her body curvy and soft, the way her eyes light up when she laughed. He tried not to stare and couldn’t help but smirk when he felt her foot run up and down his calf.

Deep within her, Mei felt the same. Cybernetic eyes or not, they seemed to react the same way as organic eyes. He almost seemed shyer around her as of late, letting her lead. She noticed that he hadn’t used any scented products in the last two days, his natural smell soaking into his old Blackwatch shirt. He smelled of seawater, some natural smell that reminded her of the plant life in Singapore. She could also smell the faint smell of saunter and metal off of him because of his work.

His natural musk wasn’t strong, but it was rather noticeable when he was very close to her. The scientific part of her mind told her it had to do with a primal urge to seek a mate who was fertile, and that he was the ideal mate. She politely ignored that part of her mind.

Both however had to admit that the sexual tension between them over the last few days was beginning to come to a head. Mei was beginning to wonder if she needed another cold shower to help douse her feelings, before the thought of him joining her made her mind grind to a halt.

Damn.

Something was bothering him and she knew it. He was getting rather nervous as they began to clean the dishes. It was getting ridiculous. She felt a bit hot as she playfully bumped his hip with her own, only to receive one in kind. With a playful chuckled, she leaned up and kissed his lips, heading back to the futon while his brain struggled to catch up with what happened.

It didn’t take long for him to catch up and gently turn her around, returning the kiss. Just as he went to pull away, she cupped his face and pulled him in for another. He growled lowly, smirking against her lips as her fingers gently scratched at his thickening beard. She growled back in response, her eyes half lidded as he felt her lips part a bit. With little warning she indicated that she wanted more.

That was it. It was on.

Lee obliged, pushing her against the wall as they made out. She rumbled in approval, one hand leaving his cheek to pull his head closer as she slowly pulled them towards the futon. God how he missed her. He let out a low growl as her fingers threaded through his hair, her nails gently scratching his scalp in the right spot.

Pulling away panting, she looked up at the man with a smirk, pushing him down onto the futon’s mattress, straddling his hips as she joined him. Hands on his shoulders, she dove for the crook of his neck. She knew by going after this spot, he would be unable to keep quiet. Her hands slowly slipped from his shoulders to his pectorals, her hands running over the muscles, her fingers catching on his shirt occasionally. With a grunt he sat up a bit, grabbing his shirt by the scruff of his neck and yanking it off. The article of clothing was tosses aside as she pushed him back down, her nails gently scratching at his skin.

Feeling suddenly over dressed, she pulled her shirt off followed by her bra. Watching him smirk, she took both of his hands and placed them on her breasts, moaning a bit. The man’s smirk fell a bit, surprised with what she was asking. She nodded, letting her hair down and putting her pin and her glasses on the armrest of the futon. She shifted her weight slightly as the man’s hands gently played with her breasts. She let out a quiet moan, her head tilting back.

“Mei… how far do you want to take this?” Lee asked, caution in his voice.

“To be honest I want to go all the way, but I’ll only go as far as you’re willing to go.”

Lee looked up at her. “Where does that leave us? I mean…”

Mei showed him her left hand. “Does this answer your question?”

Lee’s jaw dropped as he looked at the ring on her finger. “When the hell did you pull that off my Blackwatch tags?”

“When you rushed out of the shower naked. I had your tags in my hand then.”

“Damn, I didn’t notice it was missing.” Lee muttered as the woman on top of him giggled and kissed his cheek. “There’s another issue with us going all the way…. I… This is the one time I don’t have ANY protection with me.”

Mei paused. “There’s something I never told you. After I woke up from Cyro, my hormones have been out of whack. Since I work up, my cycle seems to have stopped. I have a few in the first few months after waking, but I haven’t had one in about a year.”

“You mean it’s entirely possible that….?”

“Biologically, I’m 31, but chronologically I’m 41. We didn’t have data on the long term effects of Cyrostasis, so this appears to be a side effect.” Mei looked down at him. “From what we’ve seen, I don’t think I can ever have children now. But, it doesn’t bother me so don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to put you at risk of getting pregnant.” Lee warned.

“I’m more than sure Lee.” Mei stroked his beard. “We’ve been monitoring my hormones for the last 9 months and there’s been little improvement. I’m fine with it.”

Lee leaned up and kissed her lips. “If you’re sure, then I’m willing to go all the way with you.”

 “Just like old times then?”

“Just like old times my love.” Lee’s expression softened. “How do you want this?”

“Besides bareback?” Mei’s eyes glinted mischievously. “Well if my handsome boy is ready, I think I want to take the reins. I want to ride you hard and fast, to feel you again. To connect with you.”

Lee smirked up at his fiancé. “I think you’ve lost your touch my dear.”

“Is that so?” Mei asked, her voice dropping to a low commanding tone, shifting her weight just right and smirking. “Keep that up and I may not give you the opportunity to remind me what you can do.”

Lee shivered, a quiet noise coming from his throat before she continued. “Aww, what’s wrong Lee? You forgot what I sound like when I hold the power over you didn’t you? You’ve grown a little cocky and rebellious. I think you need to be reminded of your place, don’t you?”

“Y-Yes ma’am.” He stammered, feeling pressure building up on his lower half. Above him Mei smirked.

“Good boy. Now get your pants off…. I missed you dearly. To be honest I’ve wanted you all day. I wanted to join you in the shower. I wanted to climb into your lap when you told me about your eyes…. But I want you on my terms.”

Waiting for Mei to climb off of him, he hastily undressed. Just by saying “just like old times” they had confirmed that their old safe words, their old communication methods were still at play. Kicking his pants and boxer briefs into the pile of clothes and watched as Mei slowly slipped off her own pants and underwear. He sat on the bed, biting his lip as she faced him and took him in. “Feeling repressed?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Lee nodded. Leaning back into the pillows as she once again climbed on top. She leaned in to kiss him again, her fingers gently scratching through his beard. She was annoyed that it prevented her from biting and giving his jaw attention, but the upside was something new to play with, and the texture was amazing. She wondered what it would feel like in other areas.

But that could wait. A hand slipped between them, palming at him. He moaned into her mouth, his hips shifting upwards into her touch. She loved how submissive he could be at times. She also loved how deep he was.

Unlike many other men she dated, he was looking for a deep connection. Sex was a form of bonding, something to help build upon. He needed time to also get into the mindset, which thankfully he was already quite close to. He hummed, her hand leaving his arousal as they came to rest on his shoulders once more. She felt him shift, getting them into a better position. Looking into her eyes, he gave a slight nod. Mei returned the gesture, letting out a deep sigh as she began.

“I didn’t realize how much I missed this.” She signed with a smirk. She felt Lee gently place his hands on her hips. He looked up at her as she rolled her hips, sending a jolt of pure bliss through them. It didn’t take long before Mei had quickened the pace, using his shoulders as leverage. Lee meanwhile had gone for her throat, the scratchy texture of his beard irritating the soft skin of her neck. The combined sensation sent shivers down her spine, the gentle scrape of his teeth against bare flesh was exhilarating. Despite the fact that no one would be able to see it, she gently tilted her head back to allow him to explore more of her neck. 

The movement of her hips was complimented by him joining in with her motions, their breath becoming ragged, and a thin layer of sweat covering them as they continued. Mei’s Voice pitched, trying to control herself as she trying to hold back. Lee’s deep sighs and grunts melded with hers, his pupils blown wide as he watched Mei bounce up and down on him.

“Lee…” she gasped breathlessly, twisting her hips a bit on each downward motion. A quiet mewl emanated from her throat, her movements becoming disjointed and rapid. She looked very relaxed, her head tilting back slightly as she panted for breath. He could feel her body lowly begin to tremble.

Then he heard it. The telltale whine in her voice. He could tell, a sweet heat pooling in his lower half, growing hotter like a hot coil, growing tighter and tighter. She was taking sharp breaths, her nails gently digging into his shoulders. “Mei-Ling.”

Looking up, he could see those trembles working their way up her spine, her back trying to arch as she fought to hold out. Leaning up as far as their position would allow, he whispered into her ear. “It’s alright, I have you… let yourself go. I’m with you.”

It seemed to do the trick, that or maybe she decided to let herself go. Throwing her head back completely as her back finally arched proper, she let out a primal cry as the trembling grew into a powerful surge, washing over her in waves. Lee took over, using his own drive to help her ride it out, trying to patch her pace as he began to move his hips upwards hard. The sensation was indescribable, a feeling that he hadn’t felt in such a long time. It was one he welcomed with open arms.

He couldn’t help himself and longer, and he allowed himself to tumble over the edge of oblivion.

Felt a burst of feeling shoot through his body, making him cry out in surprise and joy, his senses dull to everything around him but a noise. It was soft, yet enticing. His hands dug into something soft as his throat let out a loud growl. All he should see was a flash of hot white light then nothing.

Whoever said men getting a swift kick between the legs was like a total system reset, was wrong. Climaxing was the real total system reset. For a few moments he drifted in nothingness before he felt himself come back to reality. Mei was still on top of him, trying to calm her breathing. He exhaled deeply, forcing his eyes open to watch her. “You ok?”

“Sensitive…” Mei admitted, getting off of him with a groan. “I want more but I need to wait a bit… hell….”

“C’mere.” Lee helped her down beside him, putting an arm around her. She groaned happily and cuddled him, looking up at him.

“So much for baby steps huh?”

“We tried. All that matters is the attempt.” Lee smirked as she giggled.

“You’re turn when I’m ready then big boy. Show me what you can do.” Mei looked up into his eyes, moving to kiss his lips. “It’s a shame we don’t have our old gear.”

Lee smirked. “We do. I mean…. I snuck into Zurich at one point and grabbed some belongings and I grabbed our gear. I cleaned everything up and kept it… just for kicks.”

Mei’s eyes lit up. “Why do you keep giving me ideas?”

“Because we’re horny, kinky fucks?” Lee grinned.

“Do you keep the goods under the futon?” Mei smirked back as her body began to even out.

“…. Maybe…” Lee flushed. Looking at Mei as she leaned in and kissed him.

“Maybe sometime we could try things out again. I know you liked it when Reyes took you all those years back… and you seemed to enjoy me pegging you with the strap on quite a bit.”

Lee groaned and nodded. “Been ages. Wouldn’t mind trying again. How are you feeling by the way?”

“Better.” Mei nodded. “Just don’t go aver my more sensitive bits just yet. They’re still calming down.”

“Do you want me to wait?”

“No, go for it please…. By the time to get to my sensitive areas, they should be calmed.” Mei nodded. “No head though. I want to wait for that.”

Lee smirked, his voice dropping to a husky soft-spoken tone. “As you wish darling. I can’t wait to put my skills to good use.”

Climbing on top of her, he gently pinned her down by her wrists, going for the left her neck. Like himself, no one would see the marks of their deeds. But the act itself was a form of foreplay. He gently began to suck and nip at that one spot on the side of her neck. Mei gasped and moaned, shifting against him to get at him. Lee denied her, gently pulling away before going after the growing redspot on her neck again.

“Lee…” She begged as he finally moved his attention elsewhere. Following a path down her chest, he let go of her wrists, instead using his hand to play with her nipples and breasts. He gently used his mouth to stimulate a nipple, while on hand strayed to the other. His nimble fingers began to stroke roll and gently pinch the nub of flesh.

Mei let out a moan, her hands roaming his chest. More muscular than his idol Bruce Lee, she couldn’t help but explore his body, taking it in as if it were a work of art. The extra muscle mass slowed Lee down but he compensated with additional speed and endurance training. Even at his age, he was rather fit. Her hands sunk lower, ghosting over his abs. She preferred running her hands over his pectorals more, but his abs were also a treat. Like most Asian men, he lacked some body hair and what little he did have was very fine and sparse. Even the hair around his belly button was short and fine, leading down.

His attention shifted again, slipping up to nip at her collarbone before coming up to kiss her lips. Her lips parted what to taste him once more. Her hand finally reached its destination, pulling and stroking his arousal. Lee moaned loudly and pulled away from their kiss, a string of saliva still connecting their mouths.

“Aw love, I thought you wanted me to take over.”

“I do, I just want to give you a bit of attention.”

Lee chuckled. “Alright. Then two can play that game.”

Mei shiver at his tone. Lee was very submissive due to his shyness and awkwardness around beautiful women he took an interest in, but once he got comfortable with Mei, he began to grow more confident. It played a big part in their sex as well. Lee usually let her take the reins, but there were times where his dominant side burst forth and he took control. He was exceptionally horny had set his sights on pleasing her, wanting to make her climax.

His hand traveled down, sliding across her slick folds. Mei whined loudly, her hands reaching up to grab at his back clinging to his shoulders. She spread her legs further to help him, gasping and shuddering at the sensation of his fingers stroking her innermost folds. That alone wouldn’t do it, so just when she adjusted to the feeling, his thumb made a precise swipe at that small bundle of nerves, making her scream.

Unlike her boyfriend in collage, Lee had found her clit no problem during their first time together. It was her G-Spot that had taken some thought and exploration, but Lee had eventually found that too. Needless to say, she found Lee to be much better than her collage Ex. Lee’s fingers gently rubbed and stroked, rubbing her clit in a circular motion, a smirk plastered on his features as she stared up at him through her lashes.

“Look at you, so beautiful like this. Beautiful and begging me for more. I could listen to your voice all day. Mmm, you know why Mei?”

Mei inhaled sharply. Hearing Lee talk dirty or even in that sensual tone of his was one thing, but hearing him speak Mandarin while doing so was something else entirely. She swore she could feel herself become more wet with his every word. “Why?”

He leaned into her ear, his index finger teasing her entrance. “Because you’re intoxicating, irresistible. You stoke the fire of my wildest desires. When I’m with you I feel complete, and your voice drives me completely insane.”

Mei’s hips began to move, rubbing herself on his fingers and he continued, a rumble in his chest and a purr at the back of his throat. “I love the way you squirm under me when I touch you, the way you scratch me and mark me up. The sweet way you beg for more and pull yourself closer to my body. I adore how you present yourself, your curves and how you try to seduce me. I love hearing my name on your lips, especially when you cry out for me. You’re a kinky bitch but I love it. You excite me, encourage me to explore.”

“Lee.” She gasped trying to get more of his sweet fingers. She groaned when he withdrew them, licking her juices off his fingers. She bit her lip and growled at him, watching his smirk grow wider.

“Is there something you want my empress? Something you need, that you desire?” Mei bit her lip and moaned, the noise sounds VERRY needy indeed. “Tell me, what do you desire?”

“I want you to fuck me.” She gasped. “I need to feel you inside of me again. I need you to fuck me hard, to make me feel that bliss, the pleasure we crave so much. Please my love, my heart, my lion… My husband, please, take me and make me lose myself to you.”

Lee hissed as he inhaled. “You have no idea what your words do to me.”

“Please Lee…” She begged looking up at him. “Take me, make me yours.”

Lee leaned in, kissing her lips as he pressed himself against her and rolled his hips. The two moaned, Mei revealing at his length. Oh how she missed this. Spreading her legs a bit more, Lee lined himself up and pushed in, letting out a quiet grunt as he did so. The feeling was amazing, having only taken Mei with protection before that night. It was hot and moist, bordering on wet. It felt different than her mouth, a lot better in his opinion.

Leaning over her and supporting himself on his forearms, he pulled back, almost pulling out entirely before thrusting back into her. It felt better than ever. He repeated the motion, starting off slow before settling on a pace. This wasn’t simply to please her, this was to reaffirm their bond. The fact that she had called him her husband already… He felt a swell of pride, an obligation to prove himself to her.

Their eyes locked and Lee’s hips began to move faster, adding a bit more force as the woman under him began to pant again, hiking her legs over his hips, fingertips pressing hard into his shoulder blades. A primal desire in him rise it’s head, calling for him to make her scream, to make her his. He was more than happy to oblige.

“Lee…” Mei called breathlessly. “Oh my pussy’s so wet… Look at what you do to me.”

Lee grunted in reply, his breath escaping him. He was beginning to feel things getting tight, in both himself and Mei. Mei leaned up, whispering into his ear. “You drive me crazy…. Mmmm… I’m yours, yours and yours alone…. Oh keep it up… You feel so good inside me…”

Mei’s voice, her moans spurned him on, driving him to find that one spot that would make her see stars. He shifting the angle a bit gliding over that one small patch of nerves. Mei’s head tilted back, her back arching off the bed as her nails bit into Lee’s skin. Her eyes barely opened as he mouth formed that O like shape.

Bingo.

If she wasn’t close now, she would be soon. Lee knew the trick was that instead of going faster, he had to go harder. He tilted her hips slightly one way and added a slight roll to his hips. Their gasping and breathless moans joined together in harmony, one waiting on the other as their hearts and minds joined closer together. He could feel her beginning to tremble again, he knew she wasn’t far.

Mei forced herself to watch. Lee’s face was screwed up in concentration, his thrusts leveling out in force and starting to pick up a bit with speed. He was panting much harder than her, signaling that he was close to his limit. Pressing herself against him she closed her eyes pushing one leg out a bit more to give him the leverage he needed.

“Lee!”

That was it. A searing blast of heat shot through Lee as he let out a primal roar, a sharp thrust dragging her over the edge with him, an unknown force, guiding Lee’s hips forward, as an intense orgasm ripped through his being. The effect was hot lost on Mei, who screamed out with him, her body feeling like it was jolted by electricity. Her nails clawed his back, her shoulders pressing into the mattress as she tried to take more of him inside of her. They were aware of just each other, floating in pure bliss. Her mind blanked, base primitive instincts telling her to breathe and to cling to her mate. In Lee’s mind almost the same instinct demanded him to care for her, to move so he wouldn’t crush her. In his haze, he moved, lying next to her and cradling her in his arms as their minds slowly worked their way through the haze. As their hearts slowed to a normal rhythm, their breathing evened out, they looked at one another with a soft smile.

“I don’t think I can go for a third round tonight like we used to. That was intense!” Lee chuckled as Mei pressed closer to him.

“I agree, I want to sleep. You still got it, though, I don’t think we ever had an orgasm together, that was that intense before.”

“We didn’t.” Lee agreed kissing her forehead. “Alright, I need sleep. I’m spent!”

Mei giggled, nuzzling his jaw with her face, feeling how soft his beard was. “I’d be surprised if you didn’t.”

“Mm.” Lee grunted, resting his head on his pillow. “Night Mei.”

Mei tucked her head under his chin. “Night Lee.”


	2. The Empress and the Lion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this seems fluffy or like filler. I wanted to explore some of the dynamics of their relationship and talk about some of their past together. Also, reminder that i can't really properly use Singlish, so sorry if there's any improper use on my part (i'm too shy to ask my friends if I'm using it right, or just asking about Singlish in general).

If there was one thing they could agree on, it was that break up or not things probably would have ended the same.

Mei had quickly adjusted to waking up next to the Singaporean, either by resting on his chest, or waking to him burring his face into her back or into her neck. Occasionally he’d wear his Blackwatch shirt as he slept, to humor her “it no longer smells like you” comment. She knew he preferred to sleep shirtless unless it was cold or it was deemed inappropriate.

She never minded she preferred him sleeping shirtless though, it made things more intimate and it also gave her ample time to trace the lines on his tattoo. He liked it too, as her touch was rather nice and relaxing, though on several occasions, he had to get after her when she’d attempt to trace the Blackwatch brand on his right hip.

Another thing they had been enjoying was the love.  They had always seen the act of making love as a way to bond and lately, it had been doing wonders to reaffirm their bond. Even the simple act of naked cuddling without the act of sex had helped them. They loved the feeling of their skin touching the others, it was as if it were an ultimate act of intimacy.

She missed the man dearly and he missed her.

One morning, Lee awoke early and slipped away from the bed. He knew Mei hated waking up alone after the Ecopoint, but he wouldn’t be far. Kissing her cheek he headed off to the bathroom to start his morning routine.

A nice shower always set him right, but…. Using the towel on the fogged up mirror he stared at his reflection. He looked so different. Over the past several years, he had grown many beards and had played with his facial hair, but now it was getting ridiculous and out of hand. It was well groomed but it was beginning to make his face rather itchy and as much as he enjoyed Mei running her fingers through it and tugging it –and as much as Mei enjoyed the scratchy sensation in her inner thighs- it had to go.

He filled the sing with water and lathered up, reaching for the case on the counter and pulling out a straight razor. His uncle had taught him when he was 15 and he had used the straight razor since then. He liked the closer shave he got over other razors.

He was half way done when he felt like he was being watched. Rinsing the blade in the water, he hummed and spoke. “Morning, how was your rest?”

“Great…. I still think I’m starting to understand what Steve Rogers meant when Fury asked if he couldn’t sleep.” Mei yawned as she stretched. “It finally annoyed you that much huh?”

“Mmm.” Lee nodded as he tilted his head back a bit so he could work on his neck. “Besides, it’s time for a change. One that’s been a long time coming, and I have you to thank for it.”

Mei approached the man, leaning against the counter as she watched. “Really? How so?”

 “I’ve been hunting Talon since I recovered from Reyes’s attack. I’ve become bitter, pessimistic and a right asshole. I became bitter and I thought the person I once was, was dead.” Lee’s razor swished around in the water as he paused. “But since you came back I realized that this whole time I was accepting the pain for no damn reason, and it was cathartic to me. I still feel like I made mistakes, that I caused this problem, but now I have the hope that I can at least redeem myself and set things right.”

The image of the day before flashed in Mei’s head, of Lee strapped in to some kind of bed, pitched at a 45 degree angle. He had ben biting down on something as he let out muffled cries of pain while tears streamed down his cheeks. He hadn’t wanted her to see him updating and replacing his implants, and the Lions had been shocked to see her enter the room. The man was still rather tender in spots and some spots were still red.

Mei reached out, turning Lee’s face towards her. “Lee, you tried to stop Reyes, you did everything you could to stop him. No one will fault you. You’re trying to take all of Overwatch’s problems and bear the weight of them on your own shoulders. You’re making a valiant effort.”

“It’s not good enough.” Lee sighed, looking down to advert his gaze. “I should be doing more. I was never this weak. In the old days, I’d be out there right now, hunting Talon down and taking them out no matter to cost.”

“What changed?”

“You.” Lee swallowed, looking back up at her. “I don’t want to lose you again, I don’t want any harm to come to you. If I lost you now, I’m not sure what I’d do.”

“Rejoin Overwatch.”

Lee looked up. “Rejoin? We were disbanded Mei. The Petras act-”

“It’s not stopping the others. Winston and a few others are going against the Petras act and acting on their own volition. They’re doing the same thing you are and they’re willing to risk it as a collective group.” Mei exhaled, looking down for a moment. “I haven’t responded to the recall yet, but now that Talon’s after me for my research and we know that Reyes and Moira have defected to Talon, I’m more inclined to do so.”

Lee chewed on his lip, turning back to continue shaving as he thought. Finally he broke his silence.” The Petras act was a ploy to shut us down so Talon could act uncontested. Many countries thought we were outgrowing our use, some feared us, other sided with Talon and others still didn’t agree. In the end, it was fucking politics. It was some of the higher up and the UN that left you and your team to die.”

“Lee, please.” Mei stroked his cheek, her hand smearing the shaving cream a bit. “Join us. We could use your grit and your knowledge.  You’re the only one who doesn’t fear the UN like we do.”

Lee laughed. “I just don’t trust them, nor do I trust Petras. I found corruption, called them out on it and they pinned it on us to justify their actions. But there’s a few things I need to settle first before I decide if I’ll join Overwatch or not.”

“Oh?” Mei smiled a bit. “Enlighten me my Lion.”

Lee grinned, his teeth showing. “Remember those close calls I had after we started dating?”

Mei knew that grin. It was a dangerous grin that bordered on insanity, vengeance and retribution. It spoke volumes of how war had shaped him and how Blackwatch’s shadier elements had influenced him. However, she knew what he spoke of. “The Hong Kong mission where your chest was practically blown open?”

Lee’s crazy grin broadened. “That very same one. Mama Hong’s been getting a little full of herself and Fist just joined Talon’s forces in an attempt to return to his gang’s former glory before the crisis. I think It’s high Time I finished what me and Lotus started all those years ago. First though we’ll have to leave for Japan and pick up an old friend, then we’ll have to head to Hong Kong meet up with Maddox and ask if he has any friends who want to help us.”

“You want to take out both Mama Hong AND Fist?” Mei’s eyes widened. “Mama Hong almost killed you back then and Fist…”

“Fist tried to make many attempts on my life, tried to kidnap me and failed thanks to Lan and tried to steal my mechs. He’s also blind in one eye thanks to me.” Lee flicked his wrist, opening and closing the blade on his razor. “Fist and Mama Hong have at least a good 30 years on me. They’ve really slowed down, where I haven’t quite begun to yet, and my implants are helping.”

“I’m helping you.” Mei stated firmly, catching his wrist as he flicked the blade open again. “I don’t care what you say. You’re practically my husband at this point and I’m not going to let you go into this alone. They won’t expect me or snowball and you won’t really be prepared for what tricks we learned in Antarctica.”

Lee looked shocked at her resolve. “You’re not a combatant though. Do you even still know how to shoot?”

“If I don’t, I know who to blame.” Mei chuckled with a grin of her own. “You taught me and it’s come in handy. I’ll use my tank and my endothermic blaster but if it makes you feel any better I’ll carry a spare pistol. I’m not some delicate flower, I’m a scientist. You said it yourself many years ago when you helped train me. Everyone should know how to fight, because there could be a point where we need to fight.”

Lee snorted. “We have a rifle range here. After I’m done shaving and we have breakfast, we’ll test out your skills. I still need to test the modifications I made to my rifle. I think I’ve got working Pulse rounds for my SAR now.”

“Put me through your paces. I think I need to brush up on my unarmed skills too.” Mei giggled as she leaned in to kiss him, ignore his protests.

“Now you have shaving cream all over you!” Lee began to laugh as he watched the woman wipe it off. ‘I tried to warn you!”

“Hurry up and finish shaving Lee, I’ll make breakfast while I wait.” She turned to leave pausing in the doorway as she looked over her shoulder. “And for the record, the man I fell in love with was never dead. I knew he was still in there somewhere, he was too shrouded in darkness and embroiled in fighting his demons to realize it. All he needed was help to find his way again.”

Lee turned, watching her leave, his gaze focused on the sway in her hips as she headed for the kitchen. Unconsciously he licked his lips. She was right he realized, and thanks to her he felt whole again.

 

“I guess I’ll have to rebalance my rifle again. Pulse munitions have quite the kick to them.” Lee muttered, taking notes. “But they have a decent increase in damage output. So my theory was right all along.”

“Which was?” Mei asked, slipping her safety glasses over her own. Lee waved her over.

“Normal bullets have different damage ratings depending on what’s being used. All have draw backs and advantages.” He held up a standard bullet on a cord, one that Mei recognized as one he had dug out of his own leg during the crisis. “These are slower but pack a punch. Meanwhile Winston made a pair of pulse pistols for Tracer. They use pure pulse energy, but due to their size and the blasts being pure energy as well as having a rechargeable ammo clip, they lack power.”

“And your theory is that because Tracer didn’t have an actual projectile, it lacked power?”

“Exactly.” Lee nodded and eyed her tank. “I won’t get into the logistics though, it’ll bore you. So what are you practicing with?”

“I thought both a pistol and my cyro gear would be a great start.” Mei chuckled. “I thought you may want to finally get a closer look at the fruits of my labor while we were at it.”

Lee’s eyebrow quirked. “You’re willing to let me look at your research and developments?”

“Well you never did crack it yourself and I thought you’d be more curious about the applications of my Endothermic gear.” Mei grinned pulling the spare pistol from where when had clipped it onto her belt. “It’s amazing the ingenuity you come up with when you’re stranded in a barren place while faced with a life of death situation.”

Lee laughed. “I’d agree. We’re nothing if not a creative and resourceful species.”

“Mmm.” Mei agreed, making sure her ear protectors and safety glasses were secure before she stepped up to the booth and aimed.

“Take the safety off.” Lee warned crouching to investigate the tank. Snowball chirped as the man looked it over.

“Huh? Oh, right!” Mei blushed, clicking the button an aiming at the target and firing. The recoil wasn’t quite what she remembered however and she flinched. Lee looked up to watch, one hand resting on the tank itself.

“Here, hold your fire for a second.” He called, standing up and stepping in behind her. “Your posture’s a bit off. Stand just like this….”

Mei allowed the Blackwatch agent to gently move he body into the correct position. “There you go. Now aim down the sights and at your target. Use your left hand to help stabilize the gun so you reduce kickback.”

Mei followed his instructions, taking several shots, noticing how accurate they were. “It’s been so long since I used a pistol.”

“I always told Jack and our security chief that even non-combatants should do regular weapon’s training and keep at the very least a side arm on them.” Lee snorted, slowly stepping away. “It’ll come back to you, you’ll see.”

“Well I have a good teacher.” Mei smiled, glancing back at the Singaporean.

Lee laughed, checking over the blaster. “How does this work exactly?”

“Here.” Mei offered, putting for the pistol and twisting the protrusion on the side of the blaster.  “Like you saw with your leg, the Endothermic blaster uses an AOE concept. The air around target is also cooled which helps compound the effect. But… Do you have a bucket handy?”

“Sure hang on.” Lee slipped away for a few moments, returning with a bucket. “What are you doing?”

“Watch this.” Mei grinned, using the blaster to create a small ice tower in the bucket, complete with a small outcropping that Lee could firmly grasp in his hand. “It’s more than just a weapon. It has useful building applications.”

“I never considered this as a possibility with your research dear.” Lee poked at the ice structure, awestruck. “I thought this would be like Dry Ice but this is actually solid ice.”

“I can create structures with it that can support decent amounts of weight. I can easily create walls that you can walk on with no worries.” Mei tapped the tank. “And it’s a great material in inclimate weather. I blocked out a lot of snow and wind when I was in Antarctica.”

“Hang on, I want to try something.” Lee’s eyes lit up as he retrieved his rifle, aiming at the ice structure, he fired several shots, amazed when several either glanced off the ice or imbedded themselves into the ice but didn’t compromise the integrity. “Oh that’s amazing. Not only does it have practical offensive applications, but it has Defensive and practical non-combative applications.”

“You sound impressed.” Mei noted.

“You kidding!? Hell yeah I’m impressed, I’m amazed at just what you can do with Ice.” Lee looked up at her in amazement. “The applications go further than anything Reyes and I could have expected and not only is it more useful than originally expected but this makes your research and data more valuable.”

“So you think it’s an added reason as to why Talon is hellbent on finding me?” Mei inquired moving to stand next to the man.”

Lee nodded. “I believe so. This means that you have a larger target on your back and we must keep you safe now, more than ever.”

“More training then I assume?” Mei assumed, seeing the man smile.

“You bet your sweet little ass.”

____________________________________________

After a bit of sliced fish soup for dinner, Lee vanished down one of the hallways. Mei paid it no mind until Lee re-appeared, nudging her shoulder. Looking up, she noted he was dressed down, wearing dark sweatpants and a dark grey shirt. Oddly, he was walking around the safe house barefoot. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself.” Mei giggled, as Lee bent to nuzzle her face, attempting to take the datapad from her. “What’s up Leo?”

Lee chuckled at the pet name. “I thought you’d want a little TLC this evening. I ran you a bath if you wanted to relax and take things easy. Let me take care of things.”

Mei looked up, considering the offer with a smile. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“That’s my line.” Lee joked. “It’s me who doesn’t deserve you.”

“Sure you do.” Mei whispered, giving in and kissing the man. “So to the bathroom then?”

“After you my empress.” Lee gestured with on hand, offering the other to her. Mei giggled and accepted his hand, standing.

“You’re such a gentleman.” She commented as she passed him, a hand swatting at his rear.

“Ah yeah. Well, I try to be decent because women and men are equal and I don’t think you relax or take time for yourself as much as you should.” Lee replied with a laugh, his gaze shifting to her rear for a moment before raising his gaze once more. “So someone has to treat you from time to time and remind you to be a little selfish from time to time.”

“You always cared more about others than you do yourself.” Mei let out a quiet moan as she entered the bathroom, feeling the heat of the steam surround her. “Oh, already that feels good.”

“See?” Lee looked away. “Go on, indulge yourself.”

“Why are you looking away? You’ve seen me naked, you’ve also seen me undress before.” Mei shook her head while she grinned.

”I want to be decent and respect your privacy.” Lee admitted.

Slowly, a devious plan formed in her head. Reaching down, she began to remove her top. “Lee, look at me for a second.”

“Why?” Lee asked, head turning slightly, but still looking away.

“Look at me.”

“What’s up?” Lee asked turning his head as she took her shirt off and dropped it to the floor. His eyes widened a bit as she quickly worked on her bra and slid off both her pants and underwear in one smooth motion. Kicking the clothing aside, she looked up at him through her lashes.

“You still get flustered.” She giggled. “That’s cute.”

“It’s because it’s intimate and you always catch me off guard with how spontaneous you are.” He muttered as she climbed into the tub. “The water’s warm enough right?”

“It’s hot.” She confirmed. “A little hotter than I’m used to but it’s alright. The water will cool with time and perhaps the extra heat will help my muscles. You always did punch and kick rather hard when we sparred.”

“To be fair I have my fair share of bruises from you as well.” Lee countered, sitting down next to the tub and resting his forearms on the edge. Mei watched as his fingertips dipped into the water. “My cheekbone’s rather sore, you have a good arm on you.”

“I thought I got you in the eye at first to be honest.” Mei muttered, leaning back until she was mostly submerged, resting her head on the edge of the tub. “I thought I had hurt you.”

“Nah. I’m tough, I can take a few hits.” Lee chuckled, his chin coming to rest on his forearm. “So, what was it like?”

“When I fell from heaven?”

“You’re the worst.” Lee groaned, his eyes closing in half amusement. “I meant when you were in Antarctica. You don’t have to tell me about the Ecopoint, I just want to know about your adventures.”

Mei had not expected that to come from him. “Well… when I woke up alone in the Ecopoint, I didn’t really find it off that people weren’t joining me at first. I thought they’d need time to get their bearings so I went on ahead to prepare things so when they did join me, things would be set back up. When I saw the flood of data, I wasn’t sure what was going on. I started to panic especially when I realized that Overwatch had been disbanded and no one knew we were still there.”

“You were so wrapped up in things you didn’t realize you were alone?” Lee asked, trying to word things carefully.

“Yeah. When I realized we were on our own, I found it off that no one had at least joined me by then save for Snowball at that point. Then I wondered if something went wrong. I was right and I just kind of broke down. I was overwhelmed.” Mei sighed, closing her eyes, “I knew I had to get the data out somehow but with how bleak things were I felt defeated. I wasn’t sure what happened to you or what I was going to do, so I tried to think of what you would do, and I managed to get a plan together with the last of the power.”

“The base actually ran out of power!?” Lee ‘s head snapped up. “Are you serious?”

“We never considered the design flaws in the base, nor did we expect the Cyrogrid to malfunction the way it did. Snowball sacrificed himself to give me just that much more power. I got Winston’s recall message and I knew I had to get out of Antarctica myself. So I took my endothermic blaster and tank, took what gear I needed and I set off for one of the research facilities in Antarctica to get help. All I had was myself and Snowball.” Mei sniffed, trying to hold back her tears. “I tried to stay optimistic but it was hard, but then one day I came across a colony of penguins. And it helped.”

“Emperor penguins?” Lee’s tone sounded highly interested, knowing that the massive bird was her favorite animal. “You got up close in personal with them?”

“Yeah.” Mei’s eyes opened again, her eyes looking wet. “They were so cute and I wished you had been there to see them. I thought Canadian geese were huge and loud, but an Emperor penguin makes a goose look small and quiet. The penguins kept their distance because I looked like a predator to them I guess. Bu one day, one of the ice flows cracked and almost sent them and their chicks into a gorge in the ice. I used my Endothermic blaster to save them and… it was foolish but it felt right.”

“You saved them all?” Lee asked, almost breathless.

“Yeah. I think they appreciated it because later that night a storm rolled in. They were using a huge snow drift to help block the wind, and I made up some ice walls to help. The adults and the chucks ended up huddling around me and we all kept warm.” Mei smiled. “They didn’t mind me after that. I also have some pictures on my phone of them and some of the landscapes. It’s not much to see down there, but it still has a certain beauty to it.”

“You’ll have to show me the photos.” Lee’s hand moved, his fingertips gliding across the water’s surface. “You know I’m not a fan of the cold, but I’m a sucker for animals and nice scenery.”

“You hate the cold.” Mei laughed. “You always used to complain about it.”

“I’m from Singapore, it’s practically tropical!” Lee argued joining her laughter. “You can’t blame me. Anything in the mid or low 20s is cold to me.”

“Yet you went to Russia and Sweden for missions.”

“I didn’t have a choice, and I complained loudly there too. I was 18 almost 19. I had never seen snow or experienced a Northern winter before that point. Cut me some slack.”

“I’m only teasing.” Mei gently splashed at him, her glasses fogging from the steam. Taking them off and taking her hairpin out of her hair, she was about to place them on the edge of the tub when Lee offered a hand to take them for her. Accepting, she watched him lean towards the counter. “Remember Ecopoint Africa?”

Lee nodded as he sat back down next to the tub. “I thought you were crazy when you asked Reyes to send me with you. The heat there wasn’t so bad, it was you taking me to the nature reserve and nearly making me shit my pants.”

“I thought you’d appreciate seeing lions up close and personal.” Mei continued to tease him, watching the man struggle to keep the smirk off his face.

“I did, but I wasn’t expecting a male lion to charge the fence then roar at me.” Lee gave up, letting his grin spread across his face. “The other male was a lot more behaved and curious.”

“We did get those nice shots of you holding and cuddling the cubs though.” Mei added, remembering the man cooing over the tiny lion cubs and playing with them. “Your mother found them sweet too.”

“Winston found them both cute and concerning. I don’t think the adult lions were too impressed with me though.” Lee yawned. “But I still enjoyed myself.”

Mei giggled. “You always had the best ideas for dates and anything romantic.”

“Like I said I try my best. You have to be creative and try different things.” Lee sighed rolling his shoulders as he watched Mei. Mei turned to him and grinned, sitting up. “Lee…. Will you join me?”

“In the tub?” Lee perked up, watching his fiancé –well wife at this point really, he supposed- nod in response. Getting to his feet, he took off his shirt, dropping it onto the same clothing pile as hers, pushing his pants and boxer briefs down in one motion, kicking them into the pile as well.

Mei’s eyes took him in, scars, ink and all. Her eyes lingered on the Blackwatch brand on his right hip, quirking an eyebrow. It was no secret that she loved his ink, and she had even once vocalized that she would have loved to see him get more. Lee admitted that he was tempted, but he was unsure.

“Mei darling, I can’t help but wonder what you’re staring at.” Lee called, breaking her out of her trance. “I’m not sure if you’re looking at my scars or what I’m packing.”

“Neither.” Mei laughed, scooting forward in the tub, allowing him to slip in behind her. “I was looking at your Blackwatch brand. To be fair though, it is rather close to your… god given gifts.”

“Stop it.”

Mei began to laugh deeply at his tone. “I’m serious! I don’t think you were thinking when you got it placed there.”

“Blame Jesse it was his idea! Most of Blackwatch has their brands in the same spot.” Lee huffed before smirking suddenly. “Jesse said it would help draw attention away from that area. But now starting to think that Gerard had a sick sense of humor ‘cause he suggested that that might have been Jesse’s intention when suggesting where to get the brand.”

It took Mei a moment to clue in before she began to howl with laughter. “He didn’t!”

“He did.”

“I thought the Overwatch stories were outrageous, but now I see that Blackwatch could top any story.” Mei gasped.

“Overwatch is cool but Blackwatch has more fun.” Lee leaned back against the edge of the tub, letting Mei lean back against his front resting her wrists on his knees. For a while they sat there in silence enjoying the heat of the water.

Lee cracked his eyes open when he felt Mei lean forward a bit, working on getting her hair damp. Sitting up himself, Lee reached for the shampoo and poured a bit into his palm while he waited for her to finish. “Allow me dear.”

“Hmm?” Mei made a confused noise as Lee began to lather up her hair for her, letting out a deep chuckle as the man took the opportunity to care for her.  She sat still for him, enjoying the deep yet gentle pressure of his fingertips massaging her scalp. She let out another low noise, this time in content.

“You don’t have to do this you know.” The mumbled lowly, enjoying being pampered.

“I know, but I want to.” Lee whispered, his eyes half lidded. “You deserve it anyway.”

“How?”

“I don’t know, doesn’t everyone deserve to be waited on by their spouse every so often?” Lee asked, his smirk evident in his voice.

“You loveable bastard you.” Mei snorted, making Lee chuckle behind her. “I suppose we’re unofficially married now are we?”

“You called me husband first as I recall.” Lee’s reply unconsciously drifted into Mandarin. “Not that I mind, I actually feel… I’m not sure…. Honored maybe? Touched?”

“Húndàn.”

Lee laughed, gently head-butting her back. “Oh don’t be like that!”

“You know I didn’t mean it like that.” Mei cooed, turning to look over her shoulder at the man. “You know I meant it to be endearing.”

“I know I know.” Lee admitted, kissing her cheek. “I don’t try to be an asshole though.”

“You liar. I’ve seen you play the asshole card a few times.” Mei crossed her arms, giving him a knowing look.

“But always with good reason or good intentions.” He reasoned, grabbing the shower head. “Head back please?”

“I suppose so. Being malicious isn’t in your nature.” Mei agreed, her head tilting back as Lee began to rinse her hair. “You’re too kind hearted to be a true asshole.”

Lee exhaled through his nose, the sound sounding like a snort. Instead of replying he worked on rinsing her hair. “Do you want me to get your back after I’m done here?”

“I’ll get it.” Mei mumbled. “Thank you though.”

“If you want.” Lee hummed, turning off the water and replacing the showerhead.

“Don’t go too far though. I still want to spend time with you.” Mei glanced back at him as he made a move to get up and out of the tub. “Thank you for this Lee. I love you.”

“I love you too Mei. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.” Lee smiled, leaning in and kissing her lips. Mei pressed her lips back into his, reciprocating the kiss. They gently pulled appart allowing Lee to dry off and redress.

“I’ll join you shortly.”

“You know where to find me.” Lee nodded, leaving her alone in the bathroom. Mei sighed and sank lower into the tub. Maybe she should have taken him up on his offer instead. Grabbing her body wash, she began to wash herself. Maybe there was something she could do for him instead.

As soon as she got out and began to drain the tub, she searched through the medical cabinet. There had to be some kind of oil in the cabinet right? Wrapping a towel around her, she finally found a bottle of coconut oil in the back of the cabinet. Lee was all about improvising and coming up with creative solutions in odd situations. He preferred the more natural product then paying large sums of money for other moisturizers.

She shrugged. Good enough.

Slipping the jar into her pocket, she got dressed and exited the room. As suspected, she found him sitting on the bed legs crossed and his hair pulled up into a ponytail as he worked on something on his holoscreen. He didn’t sound overly impressed  , occasionally muttering in a frustrated tone and brushing his bangs back off his face.

“Whatcha working on?” she asked sitting next to him and resting her chin on his bare shoulder.

“Looking up reports and talking to Lynx and Maddox. Maddox will be joining us in Hong Kong, he’s not on good terms with Mama Hong or Fist.” Lee explained, turning his head. “Also had to get an update on our security chief. He’s doing fine I guess.”

“Heard from anyone else?”

“I started listening in to the Overwatch Channels. Genji, Lena, Mcree and Winston are rather active. I think they caught on that I’m listening in but not responding.” Lee bit his lip. “I’m hiding the locations of both our coms so we can’t be tracked but they know that our coms are active and that you’ve went missing.”

“Can’t you reach out to them?” She asked, her arms wrapping around his waist, feeling the soldier shrug.

“Can.” Lee admitted. “but I’m waiting till I get a few things done. I have used our coms to broadcast two messages. Hopefully they can piece together the warning messages about the Blackwatch base incident between Reyes and myself, as well as the most recent message between my saving you.”

“Messages?” Mei asked, seeing the man pull out a communicator, holding down a button and speaking into it.

“Connect me to the main system, code Omega, Wotcher, Sirius, Charter. Protocol, Echo Cobalt, Charter.”

_“Please state your name, Callsign and authorization code.”_ The device responded.

“Liao Lee, call sign Spectral Savior. Authorization code 2004-897.”

_“Connected. Com-lines secure and open agent. Scanning for channels. Three active channels found. Welcome back agent.”_

“Ping all active agents as of 2076.” Lee commanded, closing his holowindow.

_“Scanning… currently 8 agents listed.”_

“Merge secondary channels and Operations. Indicator code Beta, Laika, Kingston, Wotcher, Timeus, Helens.”

“Merging, please wait.” The Device chimed. Mei looked up at Lee.

“I’ve never heard that indicator code before.” She noted, seeing Lee smirk and quirk his eyebrows.

“It’s a Blackatch code. This will allow us security as well as allow us to merge all Overwatch channels into Blackwatch data channels, that way we remain undetected and hidden from the Petras act.” Lee chuckled. “I have 2-4 to thank for setting it up and Lynx and a few other outside sources to thank for testing the encryption. I don’t even think Talon’s pet hacker could get into this.”

“What about Sombra?” Mei asked. “I head Sombra can get into anything.”

“Sombra IS Talon’s pet hacker.” Lee pulled up the holo-window again and pulled up Lynx’s research. “This is Sombra, a Mexican born hacker who’s one of the world’s top hackers. Lynx recently learned that Sombra’s a single person and her legal name is Olivia Colomar. Her family died in the Omnic crisis and she’s been with the Los Muertos since. She went underground once someone back hacked her and when she reappeared a year later, she joined Talon and worked with them since.”

“You’re ontop of your game.” Mei shook her head.

“Lynx and Gerard helped me pick up on how to get reliable intel. I’m still learning how to deal with people to get my intel, but I get by.” Lee shrugged, head turning back to his com when it dinged again.

_“Channels merged. All communications secured and open.”_

“Play warning transmissions in active channel.” Lee held the decvice closer to Mei so she could hear.

There was a loud crackle followed by a slight high pitched whine. _“Code 302. Sector Lijang China. Activity code Yellow. Talon advisory. All agents reported safe. Blackout situation. Message repeating.”_

“Another Blackwatch code?” Mei assumed, watching Lee nod.

“Blackout situation means that whoever issued the broadcast had to dive into hiding. In this case it means us. If those guys are listening, they’ll figure out that someone in Blackwatch got involved. I don’t think anyone outside of Blackwatch knows our Blackwatch codes.” Lee explained as the message repeated in the background. “If they ping your coms, they’ll only see the last known location not our exact location. Therefore, they’ll know that someone in Blackwatch got involved with you and that we’re in a bit of a bind.”

“You’re trying to warn them then.” Mei realized. “Why not contact them directly though?”

“Because I don’t know if Genji or McCree are moles or not. I doubt they are but I can’t be entirely sure. Reyes was close with very few in Blackwatch, but after myself and Gerard, McCree was closest with Reyes.” Lee’s hands waved “A healthy dose of paranoia has kept me safe thus far.”

“You need to get out more.”

“Oh please!” Lee rolled his eyes. “I’ve been hiding since Reyes blinded me. I’m fine. But watch this…”

Holding the com back up Lee spoke again. “Code Ryu, Panthera Leo, Candid, lupin,  tyto Alba Commando, Horus vitae’.”

_“Code 31-A4. Activity code Black. Location Zurich Blackwatch safe house. Agents injured. Blackout situation. Yuàn shīzi bǎohù wǒmen. End code Transmission. Code 302. Sector Lijang China. Activity code Yellow. Talon advisory. All agents reported safe. Blackout situation. Message repeating.”_

“Code black?” Mei asked. “Critical situation?”

“Also used when you find a traitor. I tried to get the message to Jack and security, but I guess they didn’t get it in time.” Lee sighed. “Bypass code 451001. Stay active and ping when activity occurs or additional waning codes are issued.”

_“Acknowledged. Notifications set to activity only and warning only.”_ The com stated before falling silent.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you are working with Overwatch, just as a lone wolf and on your own terms.” Mei huffed, arms crossed as Lee swiped through his Holo-windows. “Typical Blackwatch.”

“Hey, I always tended to play by my own rules anyway. Besides, if I hunt down Talon and eliminate some of the big players, then Overwatch won’t have to worry about so many huge power plays from Talon later.” Lee explained. “At least that’s how I see it.”

He had a point she supposed. He was trying to take power away from Talon as well as prevent another situation such as the fall or the Petras act from happening again. “You can’t keep this up forever.”  

“I know, but I have to try to do as much as I can with what time I’ve got.” Lee sighed, brushing his bangs back off of his face again.

“Here, lay down on your stomach.”

“What?”

“Lay down on your stomach.” Mei repeated. “Trust me.”

“I do.” Lee whined, closing the holo window and placing the projector on the armrest while he laid down and followed her order. Throwing her leg over his hip, she straddled the small of his back and pulled out the bottle of coconut oil. “What are you doing?”

“You’ll see.” She whispered, rubbing the oil around in her hands a bit before placing her hands on his shoulders her thumbs on either side of his neck, massaging the muscles. “God you’re tense. Relax, loosen up.”

“Sorry.” He whispered back, crossing his arms infront of him so he could rest his cheek on them.

“This amount of stress isn’t good for you.” Mei added, her hands massaging his shoulders in an attempt to relax him and get him to loosen up. “You’re taking years off your life.”

“You’re telling me. I’m surprised I haven’t started to go grey yet.” Lee scoffed, letting out a groan of content.

“You only just turned 48.” Mei reminded him. “Still a bit too young to go grey.”

“Ba was going grey in his early to mid 50s.” Lee pointed, out, his voice starting to slow as he relaxed. “Mum didn’t start going grey till her late 50’s early 60’s.”

“You said she’s still alive right?” Mei shifted her weight a bit, watching Lee nod slowly.

“Yup. She’s almost 80 and still kickin. She’s living in my apartment at my company She knows I’m alive. We talk regularly.” Lee sighed as Mei worked out a particularly hard knot. “Ah…  Liddat.”

Mei giggled. She loved when the man slipped up or added a bit of Singlish to a conversation. He could tell by his half laugh that he understood why she was now laughing. “So… is she ok with you hunting Talon?”

“Not really no, but she knows she can’t stop me. I’m too stubborn like her.” Lee chuckled. “Though, she’d prefer that I came out of hiding and went back to the company or something… Thing is that as exciting as it would be to work on my tech stuff all day, I’d miss the action that Overwatch provides. It’s hard to think about re-adjusting to civilian life. I’ve tried. Besides, with Talon going after my head, we understand that maybe it’s for the best that I continue to hunt them.”

“You’ll have to make a decision eventually.”

“I know Mei. I just… I still need time you know?” Lee shifted his head a bit to look back at her. “How far are you going with this by the way?”

“Mmm… I was thinking a full back massage. It feels like you need it.” Mei replied, her hands moving lower.

“Is this because I ran a bath for you and washed your hair?”

“Not really no. I just kind of wanted to do it anyway.” She admitted, pouring a bit more oil into her palm. “You’re going to fall asleep like this Lee.”

“No I’m not.” Lee argued, his words still slow and relaxed.

“You are. I’m telling you right now.”

 Just as she predicted, he fell asleep half way through. Not that she minded, he always could use the extra sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter. If you like it, please stay tuned for more, whenever i get the chance to update it and upload more! 
> 
> Till next time.
> 
> PS: does anyone mind if i include art at the beginnings or ends of chapters?


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